Point Reyes Station conference fetes original environmentalist Aldo Leopold

More than 300 people are gathering this weekend in Point Reyes Station to celebrate the ideas of Aldo Leopold, a key figure in development of the environmental movement who worked toward bridging the gap between humans and nature.

Point Reyes Books is presenting the 2013 Geography of Hope Conference, "Igniting the Green Fire: Finding Hope in Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic." It is the first West Coast gathering of the world's foremost Aldo Leopold experts and has given the opportunity for people to discuss his writing and works and how they relate to past, present and future.

Lectures, discussions and films are part of the weekend activities, most of which are sold out.

"I think he would be shocked, but very proud of all the attention paid to his work," said his daughter, Estella Leopold, 85, who is at the conference. "Dad left us with a passion for outdoor life that was the basis for what he did."

Revered today by many as the father of the American wilderness, Leopold was a young U.S. Forest Service ranger from the Midwest when he developed his thoughts about human interaction with the natural world, which were revolutionary for his time.

He died in 1948 at the age of 61. His book, "A Sand County Almanac," was published a year after his death and introduced the "land ethic," a philosophy for humans to consider impacts when they use or change land. The writings helped new generations grasp the roles of environmentalism and conservation and connected people and land.

While his legacy is vibrant and relevant today, it developed slowly, said Leopold biographer Curt Meine.

"His book sold modestly for the first 15 years, but then in the mid-1960s, as the environmental movement took off, it began to sell in the millions," Meine said. "It has never been out of print."

Though acknowledged by many for his work, Leopold didn't receive mass acclaim during his lifetime because he was so far ahead of his contemporaries in his view of the value of nature, experts say.

"Leopold is probably the best known and most little known figure in conservation in our history," said Meine, who is speaking at the conference. "But his legacy and influence grows. He helped shift the conservation movement. What made him different was that he was able to articulate his ideas in poetic prose. He was an original thinker."

Among Leopold's writings:

 "We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect."

 "We shall never achieve harmony with the land, anymore than we shall achieve absolute justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations the important thing is not to achieve but to strive."

 "Cease being intimidated by the argument that a right action is impossible because it does not yield maximum profits, or that a wrong action is to be condoned because it pays."

While Leopold was a protector of the land, he did not altogether dismiss working landscapes.

"That's what makes having this conference in Marin perfect," Meine said. "You have landscapes here, these wild places protected, but you also have an agricultural landscape that is highly valued. Leopold wrestled with these issues."

Steve Costa, who owns Point Reyes Books with his wife Kate Levinson, said the conference offers the opportunity for people to discuss land issues that are topical in West Marin.

"It's an interface between community, literature and place," he said. "Leopold informs and inspires us in many different ways, and the weekend revisits his ethic."